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TV Notes;Fighting an Injunction

The syndicated tabloid news magazine "Inside Edition" will include a report on Friday (at 7:30 P.M. on Channel 4 in New York) that has led to a precedent-setting injunction against its producers, citing invasion of privacy.

The report, on health care organizations and their efforts to cut costs while executives get huge compensation packages, is not affected by the injunction, said Marc Rosenweig, the vice president for program production at King World, the company that owns "Inside Edition." But Mr. Rgsenweig said the company was appealing the decision because "it would be disturbing for all journalists if it does become a precedent."

All three networks with news divisions, ABC, CBS and NBC, have reason to agree. They all said they planned to file briefs supporting "Inside Edition" in its appeal, an executive associated with King World said yesterday.

The injunction, issued by a Federal judge in Philadelphia, barred the magazine's reporter and producer from trying to get two executives of U.S. Health Care on camera, even in a public place, on the ground that the actions of the "Inside Edition" crew were threatening.

"Inside Edition" first tried to interview the chief executive of U.S. Health Care, Leonard Abramson, but was rebuffed. In an effort to document the life style of the company's executives, however, a camera crew set up outside the home of Mr. Abramson's daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Richard Wolfson, both company executives.

Steve Wilson, the reporter for "Inside Edition," said the show was trying to illustrate how executives with health care organizations were living affluently while making "life-and-death decisions" for their subscribers based on keeping costs down.

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Looking into the Wolfsons' life style was legitimate, he said, because they had been hired by Mr. Abramson and were making almost $600,000 a year between them. The program also tried to capture Mr. Abramson getting aboard his yacht in Florida.

The judge in the case, Raymond J. Broderick, ruled that freedom of the press did not protect journalists from "crimes committed in pursuit of a story." The potential offense in the case was apparently an illegal invasion of privacy.

First Amendment lawyers hired by "Inside Edition" said the decision was the first of its kind. Dean Ringel of Cahill, Gordon & Reindel, of Manhattan, said the decision cited the successful suit brought 25 years ago by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis against a photographer, Ron Galella.

"Galella was very different," Mr Ringel said. "He had a history of following Mrs. Onassis for years. There was physical contact. He was charged with assault. In this case, all the actions the crew took were in keeping with professional journalistic practice."

A decision on the appeal of the injunction order is not expected until this summer, Mr. Rosenweig said. BILL CARTER